Medicaid Work Requirements – Here’s What You Need To Know!

On Saturday, President Joe Biden signed a measurement that suspended the country’s debt limit after weeks of wrangling with Republicans in the House. The ruling averts a default on the nation’s debt ceiling. Democrats worked to maintain Medicaid work requirements out of the final settlement.

Medicaid Work Requirements – Here’s What You Need To Know! (PHOTO: Pacific Research Institute)

The Proposal For Medicaid Work Requirements

Medicaid work requirements have been a long-time Republican priority and the proposal has supported reining in federal spending while preserving the entitlement for the most needy.  The most recent iteration, the Medicaid work requirement has required that certain adults aged 18 to 55 either work or perform other allowed activities, such do community service for at least 80 hours monthly in exchange for having Medicaid benefits. People with disabilities and those who have children or other dependents would have been exempt from the Medicaid work requirements.

According to CMS that Medicaid accounts for $1 of every $6 spent on healthcare in America. In 2021 the entitlement cost $734 billion, the latest year for which federal data are available and the costs are only going up. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimate Medicaid spending will exceed $1 trillion in 2028. That’s partly because enrollment is skyrocketing. Between 2013 and 2020, 14 million people were newly enrolled in Medicaid. Since February 2020, 21 million beneficiaries have been added to the program.

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Most Providers Limit The Number Of Medicaid Patients

Many of them aren’t the needy people that the program had designed for such as pregnant women, adults with dependents, and disabled people. The Medicaid beneficiaries must complete the few available Medicare appointments as more healthy adults sign up for the program.

Several providers limit the number of Medicaid patients they’ll see, given the program’s low reimbursement rates. The result can be long waits for routine health care.

Implementing work requirements for Medicare would allow cuts to Medicaid enrollment while saving taxpayers money. It deserves to remain a priority not just for Congress but for state legislators as well.

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